Saturday, March 26, 2011

This is the last of the beers sent to me from Bart in Belgium (thanks again for the beer!). I don't know much about this beer, but from what I can tell it's brewed or contract-brewed by De Struise Brouwers in Belgium. I'm not sure what style it falls under, either. I'm thinking Belgian blonde or tripel or some kind of generic Belgian strong ale. Not that I really get hung up on details like that. The good thing about drinking a Belgian beer is it gives me the chance to eat cheese!

Appearance: Dark copper/orange with much carbonation. Forms a two-finger, off-white, frothy head. Good retention and lacing.

Smell: Quite hoppy with floral and slight citrus notes. Typical Belgian yeast esters are also strong in the palate with some spices notable as well.

Taste: Hard to describe other than a very strong saison or witbier. Thick palate with lemony citrus tartness and mild dry spices throughout. Could be black pepper, could be coriander - I’m not quite sure. Alcohol imparts a homogenous dryness throughout the palate. Somewhat bitter while it’s in the mouth, but finishes mostly clean with just slight dryness from the yeast (typical with Belgian beers of this caliber). Tasty palate to be sure, but not a very complex or robust one. I’d prefer something more overtly fruity, but this is good.

Drinkability: Mouthfeel is thick and despite peppery, spicy flavors, the beer itself does not dance on my tongue but seems to hit it with a thud. Slightly drying, but very easily tolerated. Does not taste or feel as heavy as its 8% ABV would have you believe. Quite smooth, actually, although there is significant heat in the throat as it warms.

63.3 - 3.5B-ABOVE AVERAGEThe lowest I can rate a beer and still honestly give it a thumbs up. The attributes are enough to overshadow the flaws. Nothing I'd jump for joy about, but a drinkable, satisfactory beer to be sure.

53.0 - 3.2C+AVERAGE/NEUTRALNot quite a good beer, not quite a bad beer. I don't have a strong opinion either way about it. There may be something to like here, but there's also something holding it back.

42.8 - 2.9CBELOW AVERAGEThe best of the worst. A beer with noticeable flaws and perhaps some minor attributes. Tolerable for a serving, but no reason to seek it out. A genuine thumbs down, but not something I despise.

32.6 - 2.7C-TOLERABLEWhile not the worst beer, there's probably nothing about it that I like. Plenty of off-putting features. I can tolerate a single serving, but would recommend avoiding it.